GoCollect Blog: 'She-Hulk' Is Laying the Foundation for New Hulks Who Aren't Green (she-hulk-is-laying-the-foundation-for-new-hulks-who-arent-green )

She-Hulk is laying a clear path to a whole new round of Hulks in the MCU…and they aren’t green.

It all revolves around that gamma plasma.

Since 2008’s Incredible Hulk, Marvel has been keeping fans guessing when it comes to Hulk blood. Both the dangers and possibilities of Bruce Banner’s blood were established at the onset of the MCU. First, there was the drop of blood that fell into a soda, thus giving Stan Lee one of his early MCU cameos (but sadly, no Stan-Hulk). As part of the plot, Banner had been sending blood samples to Tim Blake Nelson’s Samuel Sterns, who used it to help create Abomination. What hasn’t been touched on in 14 years is the blood dripping on Stern’s head, teasing a transformation into The Leader.

It’s only natural that Hulk blood is at the center of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Although deviating from the comic origin in the delivery method, Bruce’s blood caused his cousin’s transformation into She-Hulk. In the first episode, Professor Hulk gave a not-so-subtle hint that their superpowered blood will be a hugely important plot device. After episode three, it’s already beginning to pan out with the Wrecking Crew (likely hired by Titania) looking to score some gamma blood.

As we knew well before She-Hulk’s premiere, the show is meant to be lighthearted, silly, and at times contrived. When your show’s protagonist is twerking with Megan Thee Stallion, clearly seriousness has been tossed out the window. However, what could be coming would have overreaching implications for the rest of the MCU.

My guess is that by the end of She-Hulk, someone besides Titania will have acquired Jennifer’s blood sample. The most logical choice would be Nelson’s return to the fold as a fully transformed Leader. Since he created Abomination, that could mean he will orchestrate the rise of something even more powerful: the red Hulks. That could have major implications for these key issues.

HULK #1 (2009)

There have been heavy rumors of Red Hulk surfacing in the MCU for years. It started with the early gossip of a Thunderbolts movie and whispers of a Dark Avengers screenplay. Ahead of the D23 Expo, there’s a new round of scuttlebutt that Red Hulk will be introduced in Captain America: New World Order. Couple that with the importance of the Hulk blood in She-Hulk, and you have a mix for Hulk #1 topping the sales charts.

The 12-month average for the graded 9.8 stands at $357, the last 90 days had seen that fair market value dip to under $300. However, the Captain America gossip is pushing those price tags higher. On August 20, a copy sold for $350, and the next day saw a $325 sale.

HULK #15 (2009)

While we’re all watching for Red Hulk clues, Marvel could have a trick up its sleeves. Instead of bringing him to live action, the studio could give us some version of Red She-Hulk. Like her red counterpart, this She-Hulk is super strong with a bad attitude. If Marvel were to follow the comics, it could bring back another forgotten character.

Bruce’s love interest and Thunderbolt Ross’ daughter, Betty Ross was the Red She-Hulk. As the story goes, she was first captured by MODOK and transformed into the green monster, Harpy. After purging herself of that villainous form, Betty died due to gamma radiation poisoning. In 2009, Leader, MODOK, and Thunderbolt resurrected her using the same technology that turned him into Red Hulk. When Betty came back to life, she was now a Hulk herself.

Like Leader, we haven’t seen Betty since Incredible Hulk, and fans would rejoice at seeing Liv Tyler return to the role. If Marvel is planning to have She-Hulk as their MCU’s main Hulk, then turning Betty into Red She-Hulk would give her a natural rival.

Although the graded 9.8 Hulk #15 has averaged $189 for the past year, it has been selling for closer to $150 in recent weeks.

RED RUM

The pieces are there for Marvel to make the shift from green to red. Whether or not that is in the plans is another story altogether. However, with Red Hulk’s popularity, I imagine some version of the character will join the MCU, though I wouldn’t be surprised to see a combination of Red Hulk and Red She-Hulk reach the silver screen.